CFB All-Time Top 100: Best and Worst

[Blue Dawg]

Biggest Difference: Better Offense Than Defense

Louisiana Tech 2012. We really don't recognize this like we should as one of the wildest seasons ever. While no one would actually argue that they deserve this status, the Bulldogs own the No. 2 offense in history, according to SRS, with a rating of 20.9. However, they finished 9-3 and 37th in SRS that season because they had a historically awful defense: a rating of -14.57, which checks in at No. 12,897 all-time. Louisiana Tech scored 51.5 points per game in Sonny Dykes' Air Raid offense, but it allowed 38.5 points per game. The scores that season are amazing: a 56-49 win over Houston, a 56-37 win over Rice, a 52-24 win over Illinois, a 44-38 win over Virginia, a 55-31 win over UNLV, a 59-57 loss to Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M, a 70-28 win over Idaho, a 28-14 win over New Mexico State, a 51-27 win over UTSA, a 62-55 win over Texas State, a 48-41 loss to Utah State and a 52-43 loss to San Jose State.

[dawg1984]

The 2012 season had such promise. And then such heartbreak. That is enough on that. Don't need those memories resurfacing.

[70TECHGRAD]

The 2012 season had such promise. And then such heartbreak. That is enough on that. Don't need those memories resurfacing.

The last two games sucked the energy out of the entire season!!

[faninmonroe]

What could have been that season....that was our year to break through to a BCS bowl....

[alex.dog]

I guess that looked early on like a season of promise, but the D got progressively worse. I never liked dykes' style. I just don't think trying to outscore people and play no defense is the way. check him out at Cal; same stuff with less success. obviously the guy can coach an offense to prolific performance, but it just does not add up in the end against physical teams, like Utah state had that season.

[SicemDawgz]

The last two games sucked the energy out of the entire season!!

And one could make a strong case that it carried over big time to 2013. The team was still in a state of shell shock.

[Dubya261]

I remember watching the SJSU game in a bar in Shreveport after a friends wedding. We were so deflated, just beaten down, stepped on, and thrown out like bad leftovers. I literally felt like a kick to the nuts watching Colby throw 3 pics in that game...

[Champ967]

the D got progressively worse...

twss

[DoubleDDawg]

That defense was as beat up as any in history also.

[SWarner63]

I guess that looked early on like a season of promise, but the D got progressively worse. I never liked dykes' style. I just don't think trying to outscore people and play no defense is the way. check him out at Cal; same stuff with less success. obviously the guy can coach an offense to prolific performance, but it just does not add up in the end against physical teams, like Utah state had that season.

Even though our defense did struggle all year, the physicality of Utah State (or any other team) had no bearing on the outcome of the games that year. We were actually one of the more physical teams people faced all year. Our offense ran the ball down Utah State's throat even though they were ranked 7th in the county in rush yards allowed prior I playing us.

The problem with 2012 was of a singular nature. We didn't get a bye week. We played 12 games straight with no bye and played our hardest opponents the last 2 games of the year. Not to mention we had lost half of our defense by the time we played them and were forced to play with 2nd team players that just didn't have the experience required against Top 25 teams.

While tempo did affect our defense, we were still "in" both of those games. I mean we took Utah State to OT and just made a bad play call, and we lost to San Jose because the whole team was depressed about not winning the WAC after the year we'd had.

[Champ967]

Even though our defense did struggle all year, the physicality of Utah State (or any other team) had no bearing on the outcome of the games that year. We were actually one of the more physical teams people faced all year. Our offense ran the ball down Utah State's throat even though they were ranked 7th in the county in rush yards allowed prior I playing us.

The problem with 2012 was of a singular nature. We didn't get a bye week. We played 12 games straight with no bye and played our hardest opponents the last 2 games of the year. Not to mention we had lost half of our defense by the time we played them and were forced to play with 2nd team players that just didn't have the experience required against Top 25 teams.

While tempo did affect our defense, we were still "in" both of those games. I mean we took Utah State to OT and just made a bad play call, and we lost to San Jose because the whole team was depressed about not winning the WAC after the year we'd had.

Yall could've had a bye week, even after the A&M was moved from Labor Day weekend to mid-October.

Idaho also did not have bye week that season. But Tech & Idaho were both idle on the first weekend in December. Both coaches were interested in moving the game to that final Saturday. Both athletic directors were cool with it. And the game wasn't scheduled for any television coverage, so that wasn't a problem. (In addition to the team, it also could've provided a week off for Tech fans who had just turned out in force for consecutive home games, including that midnight heartbreaker in Shreveport.)

My sources say DR nixed the proposal bc Mrs. Reneau was hosting a holiday social event at the President's House on the proposed gameday. So he already had plans (But who can say for sure ...)

[PawDawg]

My sources say DR nixed the proposal bc Mrs. Reneau was hosting a holiday social event at the President's House on the proposed gameday. So he already had plans (But who can say for sure ...)

What's more important? Social events or helping the team along?

I will say this...I've already seen Dr. Guice in the tailgate are more times 2 years than I saw the other guy in 30.

[BoutThemDawgs]

I also still maintain there was a fair amount of corruption among WAC officials and refs, the crap I saw USU get away with in that game was some SEC level rigging. Our team played like crap, but when the officials seem to be against you to, its really hard to stop playing like crap in a game.

[Dawg06]

Two blocked kicks turned that season upside down.
- Blocked PAT returned for 2 vs. Texas A&M
- Blocked FG attempt vs. Utah State
Convert both of those kicks, and we win both games in regulation.
There's no way we would've lost to SJSU going into it at 11-0.

[HogDawg]

The last two games sucked the energy out of the entire season!!

Sure did. That was the only regular season that I can ever remember being glad when it was finally over. Every game was exhausting. No games were easy, save for Idaho. That team was very, very frustrating to watch. In most cases, LA Tech even let the teams that we were supposed to beat badly (e.g., Texas St. NMSU) stay in the game until the very end. That's when I knew this team was running on smoke and mirrors. With the exception of Idaho, we kept almost everybody in the game until the very end.

But I kept asking myself over and over, "How can any defense be THIS bad?"